In addition to pencils, notebooks and clothes that fit a kid who grew 3 inches over summer, "courage" should be on our back-to-school supply lists. Let me know if you find where it's sold. I am also looking to buy a pair of little-boy hips, as I can't seem to keep any pair of pants on the waist of my 5-year-old. He is hip-challenged, which means his underwear can be seen most often.

Courage would come in handy for kids who might be on the receiving end of teasing because their underwear always shows. And adults in Oregon and Washington -- especially lawmakers -- will need courage to make their states what are called "right-to-work" states, bringing an end to their states' compulsory unionism. It could improve Oregon's chances of fighting today's economic hardships and grant teachers the option to stop giving hundreds of their hard-earned dollars away to a union each year.

Even when a teacher asks his or her union to become a "fee payer" instead of a full-paying member, a fee payer is stuck paying the majority of union dues. And a fee payer loses legal representation that the union provides. If you're a teacher who disagrees with the Oregon Education Association's or Washington Education Association's constant dabbling in politics and wants to defect, but also wants to retain career protection in our litigious land, contact Northwest Professional Educators (nwpe.org). NWPE offers educators affordable liability coverage and legal representation should they ever need it, as well as other educator benefits that are lost when teachers become less than full-paying mandatory union members.

Let's not forget that taxpayers employ teachers -- unions don't -- and they deserve our representation. An Oregon union should not be able to force 47,000-plus, taxpayer-employed educators to give it money to further its agenda.

The OEA seems to be a decent organization that cares about educators -- and a lot of other issues conservatives and liberals will disagree on. But this isn't about the OEA or how good or bad any union is. This is about the reality that a teacher shouldn't be forced to give money to a union as a condition of his or her employment. Because unions are known for engaging in politics, imagine getting quarterly newsletters that you helped pay for with your union dues that tell you your opinion on causes and candidates is wrong. It's insulting. The OEA is often one of the biggest players in state ballot measures, and it endorses Democratic candidates the vast majority of the time. If union dues were voluntary, the OEA's newsletters and political activity wouldn't be an issue.

Consider charter or private schools: People vote with participation. When unsatisfied, they can walk away. Letting workers choose whether they want to monetarily support a union that claims to be acting on their behalf makes sense.

It's true that there is strength in numbers and ending mandatory unionism will take some members away from unions. But we shouldn't get to dictate the size of our chosen groups by requiring other people to take part. Participation needs to be voluntary. We're a nation that stands up for minorities. It's one of America's best qualities. In this case, some people who find that they are political minorities within their union are seeking help.

Compulsory unionism is about more than unjustly denying people their rights. It hurts Oregon's economy by sending a lot of money to union bank accounts instead of family budgets. It also makes Oregon a less attractive place for people to start or grow private businesses.

Using state-comparative data, the conservative Cascade Policy Institute released a report about the economic benefits that might be gained if Oregon became a right-to-work state. The research suggests we'd have more employment, more taxpayers and higher incomes.

September's revenue forecast predicts more instability for lawmakers to deal with in the near future. The state will benefit from improving Oregon's business environment now, finding ways to retain and add taxpayers that can help avoid deeper cuts to Oregon programs and valuable safety nets. Since state and local governments are drowning in red and we aren't gaining taxpayers, I say lawmakers give right-to-work status in Oregon a chance. Becoming a right-to-work state shouldn't cost the state a dime, just a lot of courage to stand up to union leaders who might act as if our pants fell down.